For the past six weeks, Hani Almadhoun has been trapped in Gaza. His attempts to return to his home in Washington, DC have ended in failure, and it is not clear when he will get out.

Palestinians gather near a tunnel bombed by Israeli aircraft in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip August 25, 2009. Israeli aircraft bombed a tunnel under the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Tuesday, killing three Palestinians inside, medical workers said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

His trip there began in late June as a three-week visit to see his family. When time came to leave, Almadhoun, age 27, was told by Hamas officials it was unlikely the Egyptians would let him leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing. Hamas’ policy was only to send to the Egyptian border crossing those who were likely to get through.
Egypt has been keeping tight control over the crossing, as Israel’s siege of the small coastal strip has essentially made travel in and out of Gaza practically impossible.

Since 2007, when Hamas took power in Gaza, the Rafah Crossing has not been open for regular traffic at all, according to the Israeli organization, Gisha. Gisha relies on Israeli and international law to protect freedom of movement of Palestinians, mainly Gazans.

Regular traffic through Rafah was normally 39,000 people per day. Now, it opens for only limited times and for special purposes.

This week, patients and injured people were allowed to return to Gaza after they received medical treatment in Egypt on Wednesday. On Thursday, Egypt allowed the passage of Palestinians returning from foreign travel. Throughout the week, Egypt will allow pilgrims returning from Mecca.

The severe restrictions have made life very difficult for Palestinians there. Building supplies and key everyday goods are in shortage and travel to the outside world is impossible.

Arab Americans have been directly impacted by the siege, as well. More than sixteen Gazans with American citizenship or permanent residency have not been able to leave, according to Gisha.

Almadhoun told The Arab American News that he knows of two U.S. citizen families who cannot return home. One is from Chicago, and another from Baltimore. Each family has their children with them. Another is an American doctor from San Diego. He brought aid to Gaza and is stuck. He spoke of another doctor, and another visitor from Alexandria, VA.

Several weeks ago, Almadhoun was given the chance to leave. It was announced that Egypt was going to allow through foreign passport-holders. As a permanent resident, Almadhoun did not have an American passport; he had a green card and the Palestinian Authority-issued travel document.

He spent one grueling day trying to reach Rafah. He caught a bus to the crossing and was waved through the Hamas checkpoint. When he boarded another bus to be taken through the crossing, the Egyptians denied him entry there since he had no foreign passport.

Egypt continues to hold the key to his fate.

Almadhoun has been trying all legal measures to leave. Others have been successful using other means. Almadhoun heard about “a family that holds American passports and were granted visas to Egypt. They smuggled themselves to Gaza using the tunnels and once their visit was done, they left Gaza the same way they came in. Their Egyptian visas were still good and no one knew they visited the Strip.”

He said being smuggled through the Gaza-Egypt tunnels costs $100 to $300 and that they now offer injections that will supposedly put underground travelers to sleep. But tunneling is not an option for him since he has the entry visa through Rafah. He needs an exit one from Rafah to leave through Cairo’s airport.

Other illegal ways involve bribing high-placed Egyptian officials, something Almadhoun is not interested in.

Short of getting placed on a list by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, which would get him through the Erez crossing into Israel – if Hamas allows it – he will struggle to get placed on any number of influential lists. Mainly, Hamas and Egypt’s lists of those allowed to leave are the most effective. Getting on them is clearly not easy.

The extent of obstacles blocking him from returning home has angered Almadhoun: “Every time I try to leave Gaza to get to my second home in the United States I stop short of crying in frustration and anger; sometimes I find myself swearing never to come back to Gaza again to see my family, the risk doesn’t seem worth it.”

He added that “I can’t help but celebrate the resourcefulness of the people of Palestine. No matter how hard life gets, they seem to revel in each other’s company and make the best of what they have.”